Why Japan Might Seek to Hold China to WTO Rules: Supply Lines

Is there any point in filing trade disputes against China at the World Trade Organization?

For the US, the answer appears to be no, thanks to what Washington perceives as an unfair dispute-settlement system that’s also expensive, takes too long and doesn’t effectively change behavior in Beijing.

The last time the US filed a WTO dispute against China was back in 2018. The Biden administration hasn’t filed any cases against the US’s biggest economic rival — opting instead to negotiate trade concerns on bilateral basis.

Washington isn’t alone. In the nearly four years since the WTO appellate body fell into ...